What is your first reaction when a competitor is mentioned on a call? Even as experienced Sales Engineers, we tend to immediately focus on the competitor. Sales Engineers typically scramble to remember the competitor’s strengths and weaknesses, while the better ones try to understand what’s important to the customer first. The best Sales Engineers do something different; they recognize that competition is natural and to be expected. Before analyzing the competitor at hand, they take a moment to understand that this is usually a good buying signal. Armed with this confidence, they remain calm, their decision-making improves, and their customers are more likely to trust their viewpoint.